DAAR Communications Plc. founder, Raymond Dokpesi has lambasted the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Ishaq Modibbo Kawu…

“Ishaq Moddibo Kawu was dragged to court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, on a 12-count-charge bordering on fraud in the digital switchover project of the Federal Government and members of his management at NBC have testified against him openly in court.”

“Can this man remain independent of external and clandestine influences? Can the scandal he is embroiled in be used to influence his performance as a regulator? Is it possible that he will go the extra mile over and beyond the powers of the NBC to gain favour from politicians and powers who may have influence on whether to retain him as DG and offer him a soft landing on the charges before him? Is he a fit and proper person with the interest of the industry at heart to lead the regulatory body?”

“He must know that the right thing for him to do is to step down from the leadership of the NBC at least until such a time that he is acquitted of the charges against him.”

“Do I need to tell him the right thing to do? Can the broadcasters he is regulating freely raise these issues against him as a public figure? I make bold to unequivocally call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately relieve him of his duty at the NBC to allow the industry to breathe fresh air.”

“my ordeal in the hands of the NBC boss may not be unconnected with my political affiliation as an opposition figure and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Every broadcast which appears to them to offer a dissenting perspective to the position of government is reprehended as a threat to national interest.”

“Every reference and reportage from various sections of the country concerning injustice, inequality and iniquity is reprehended as a threat to national security. If we are critical of this administration’s management of the economy, it is because our editorial board has reviewed the economic indices and these show that Nigeria is worse off today than it was under previous administrations.”

“If we are critical of this administration’s commitment to nationhood and the principles of fairness, equity and justice for the various ethnic nationalities that make up the configuration of Nigeria, it is because the principle of federal character has been fragrantly ignored in the appointments of this administration and the remarks of principal officers of this government point to a lopsided bias in favour of regions from which votes were generated rather than showing leadership to all.”

“If we are critical of this government’s commitment to the tenets of democracy, it is because we have witnessed unabated interferences, harassment and intimidation by the agencies under the executive arm of government on the institutions of democracy and their principal officers.”

“But they cannot determine what questions we ask them and what issues are off-limits. They must appear knowing that they are subjecting themselves to public scrutiny. The representatives of this government have largely not taken up the opportunity to rise to this challenge.”

“Our obligation as provided for in section 22 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is to hold government, public officers and people in power accountable to the public.”

“If AIT appears biased in propagating its editorial position, it is because the representatives of government have shied away from giving account of themselves on our platform and not because AIT denies the government opportunity to make their perspectives known to our audiences.”

“Kawu’s membership of the APC and his failed governorship bid are enough to question his fairness especially in matters concerning opposition figures in the land.”

“​I cannot ignore that our regulator, the NBC today is under the leadership of a partisan politician. Ishaq Moddibo Kawu, the Director General of the NBC, was an aspirant of the APC for the governorship of Kwara State before the recently concluded general elections in Nigeria. Is he in a position to regulate freely and fairly? Is he devoid of partisan interest in regulating the industry?”

“The fact that he lost his primaries and returned to resume as DG of the NBC is in itself despicable. In spite of a global broadcast network license granted to DAAR Communications Plc by General Sani Abacha administration in 1994, the DG of NBC has stalled the commissioning of our stations in Yola, Awka and Sokoto since 2016 by fragrantly refusing the Commission’s engineers to inspect the fully built and equipped broadcast facilities for radio and television.”

“The DG of NBC falsely accuses DAAR Communications Plc of being indebted to the commission for a license fee to the tune of N500 million. The truth of the matter is that at the commencement of the current broadcast licence renewal period, the commission unilaterally fixed the network licensing fee for private network broadcasters at N500 million.”

“I am very reliably informed that BON made representations to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the Honourable Minister of Information, to review very significantly downwards the level of fees payable to the NBC and the humongous taxes that these private stations are made to pay to the Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, I have reiterated in the years past, that the state and federal government stations are made to pay much lower license fees and if my memory is not short, it is about N10 million annually and do not pay any taxes.”

“This is in spite of the fact that these stations also have budgetary allocations, grants and subventions. Even at that, NBC sources have severally confirmed that these stations are also heavily indebted. Therefore the 5-year national network license for government owned stations is just 10% of what privately owned national network broadcasters are forced to pay.”